The second edition of WWE's revamped "Saturday Night's Main Event" NBC special (and 38th edition of the show overall) arrives this weekend from the Frost BankCenter in San Antonio, Texas, and just like we were for the first one, the Wrestling Inc. staff are here to pick the winners!
After a shaky end to 2024 in the predictions department, we started out 2025 in at least somewhat decent position, going 3-1 in our collective picks for "WWE Raw"s Netflix debut earlier this month. This time around we seem to once again be dealing with a four-match card (including three singles title matches) with the contract signing between CodyRhodes and Kevin Owens filling the place of a fifth match. We swept the first SNME picks back in December and we feel pretty confident about this one too, seeing as two of our choices are unanimous and another was as close as it gets (there is one match in which at least a few more of us are willing to take a swing at the underdog). Are we suffering from a crippling degree of false confidence? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and make your own predictions while you're at it!
With that in mind, let's get to the picks!
It remains to be seen whether or not Jacob Fatu will have a defeated Solo Sikoa by his side at "Saturday Night's Main Event," after the former Tribal Chief walked away from Fatu and Tama Tonga on "WWE SmackDown" last week, but there's no doubt in our minds that "The Samoan Werewolf" will come out on top, with a full 100% of us here at WINC believing Fatu is getting the win against Braun Strowman. It seems like Fatu is headed for the top, and if so, there's no way he's taking a pin on Saturday. We also don't think there will be any funny business like a disqualification, because Fatu needs to look strong here.
While the match hasn't had much build behind it at all, we're excited to see Big Meaty Men Slapping Meat at the NBC special. Things only got started between the pair on "SmackDown" when Strowman returned to the blue brand to help out former United States Champion LA Knight against an attack from Fatu and Tama Tonga, after Knight tried to take them out from behind. With Tonga out of the ring, Strowman stared down Fatu, but before anything could happen between the pair, Tonga ushered Fatu out of the ring. After the stare down, the match for SNME was set.
Despite the lack of build, we're looking forward to this match almost as much as we're excited for Fatu to win. This could catapult "The Samoan Werewolf" into a storyline outside the confines of The Bloodline, something we haven't seen before.
Written by DaisyRuth
Bron Breakker is more than 90 days into his second run with the WWE Intercontinental Championship, and he's set to defend against Sheamus for the third time this Saturday. The two previously locked up twice in November, with the champion winning via disqualification the first time around before Breakker pinned Sheamus in a triple threat at WWE Survivor Series: WarGames. As they continue their rivalry, 73% of the Wrestling Inc. staff believes Breakker will walk away victorious.
The son of tag team veteran Rick Steiner, Breakker is a young rising star in WWE, and continuing his run with the Intercontinental Championship would serve as a strong way to fully establish him on the main roster. While it's not totally out of the realm of possibility, Sheamus defeating the 27-year-old would be a major setback for Breakker. Though we'd love to see something of consequence happen at SNME, we don't want it to happen at the expense of Breakker's current push. With WWE approaching its busiest season of the year, we'd much rather see how things shake out with Breakker holding the title.
That being said, it's worth noting that the Intercontinental Championship is the last title Sheamus has yet to hold in WWE. It feels inevitable that he'll capture it at some point, but we hope the veteran performer has to struggle a little while longer before crossing that item off his checklist.
Written by NickMiller
Rhea Ripley looks to make the first defense of her second WWE Women's World Championship reign at this weekend's "Saturday Night's Main Event," with the match coming against a former WWE Women's Champion in her own right, Nia Jax. The title bout was preceded by Jax's backstage attack on Ripley on "WWE Raw" this past Monday, with Ripley demanding her pound of flesh afterward, but the pair have been at odds since the latter end of 2024, with Jax aligning with Liv Morgan against Ripley's team heading into Survivor Series: WarGames. Jax lost her Women's Championship just days before Ripley re-captured her title from Morgan on "WWE SmackDown," with Tiffany Stratton cashing in her Money in the Bank contract after a successful title defense over Naomi; she has since made use of the ongoing transfer portal to cross brands, defeating fellow nomad and former Women's Champion, Bayley, to continue her momentum this past week.
However, by a unanimous verdict the Wrestling Inc. team predicts that Ripley will halt that run and keep her title run going into WrestleMania season at SNME. It just feels too soon after her long-awaited return to the top of the mountain for Ripley to be toppled again, especially with the "Show of Shows" looming in the next few months, and Jax arguably doesn't need the win coming off of her 153-day run as champion on the other brand. Rather, it appears that Jax would be the perfect candidate to cement Ripley as champion as a top heel contender, much in the same way she was last year during the Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia. Either way, with the Women's Royal Rumble on the approach a loss for Jax is unlikely to push her out of the competitive pool any time soon.
Written byMaxEverett
Despite Jey Uso's electric entrance and phenomenal merchandise sales, 93% of the WINC staff have seen the build to his match with GUNTHER at "Saturday Night's Main Event" and said, "I don't think it's happening." It's hard to blame them "Main Event" moniker aside, Uso has become something of a glorified tomato can. He received a brief run with the Intercontinental Championship, but for the most part, he is used for his pathos. Like Sami Zayn some years back, you just know he isn't going to win, but the crowd is going to be behind him enough that he might make you believe.
Uso is probably the biggest victim of the distended, bloated Bloodline drama, as it has kept him from every breaking out of the shadow of Roman Reigns, and now that he's on "Raw," he seems like an underdeveloped plant that didn't get enough sunlight. And considering GUNTHER tends to hold titles for a very long time, and he's all but a made man in the eyes of WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque, it doesn't look to us like Uso is going to be able to dethrone him in San Antonio.
Written by Ross Berman
